Five Takes - Defensive implosion, short-yardage gains and more
Take 1: Defensive implosion
Despite a solid stretch in the middle, the Florida State defense was shredded for the fourth straight game against an FBS opponent this past Saturday. It’s a scary trend that is unprecedented in FSU’s football history.
With the Bulls putting 35 points on the scoreboard, the Seminoles have now surrendered 34 or more points during each of their last four games against FBS competition. At only one point in the history of the program has the FSU defense given up 30 points or more over four straight games -- Five straight games in 1973.
Prior to the current run, the worst stretch for an FSU defense occurred during the middle of the 2009 season. In games against Georgia Tech, North Carolina, N.C. State and Clemson, opponents racked up an average of 39.5 points and 471.5 yards per game.
During this current four-game run, opposing FBS offenses are averaging 452 total yards of offense. The averages for these offenses during this stretch are startling.
* Average total yards by opponent – 452
* Average points per game - 42.25
* Rushing yards per game – 214.5
To put this into perspective, FSU’s defense would rank in the 100s in each category based on the current NCAA statistical rankings for FBS schools.
Take 2: Linebacker struggles
It’s no secret that Florida State’s linebackers have underachieved through the first four games of this season. This lack of production was especially evident in Saturday’s game against South Florida. The starting duo of Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins combined for just three tackles. For the season, the two linebackers are averaging a combined 8.5 tackles per game. And that number is skewed a bit high because Thomas had 10 tackles at Louisville, with most stops coming when he was tackling a player from behind well down the field.
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